The present invention relates generally to improvements in vehicle safety belt systems and it relates more particularly to an improved automatic locking retraction reel which responds to emergency conditions and the position of the seat occupant.
The occupant of a vehicle seat, whether it is the driver or a passenger, who is under the restraint of an applied safety belt, particularly a shoulder or three point safety belt, should not only be unrestricted in his movement, except under emergency or collision conditions, but should not have undue pressure applied to him when he assumes his normal optimum or comfortable seated position. The safety belt systems heretofore proposed or available do not meet the above criteria and possess numerous drawbacks and disadvantages. While the conventional collision responsive automatic locking reel does not unduly restrain the forward movement of the seat occupant during normal condition the seat occupant is continuously under the high oppressive stress of the shoulder belt which is continuously strongly pulled in a belt retraction direction to the great discomfort and inconvenience of the seat occupant. Thus, the conventional automatic locking safety belt retraction reel leaves much to be desired.